Celebrating Indian Culture in Finland and Estonia A Catalogue of Artists FOREWORD BY AMBASSADOR OF INDIA A warm welcome to the enthusiasts of Indian culture in Finland and Estonia! It is with great pleasure that I present to you a catalogue of talented artists practising different Indian art forms in Finland and Estonia. Under the banner of Kala Sangam (literally ‘a confluence of art forms’), you will find groups and solo artists of different styles in the fields of music and dance. Whether you are looking for an artist to perform, a group to join or an art form to learn, we hope this catalogue will bring India closer to you. Indian culture needs no introduction. Through the numerous yoga studios and delectable cuisine, the amazing kaleidoscope of music and dance forms, and through its impressive art and architecture, Indian culture resonates across the world. Unsurprisingly, the people in Finland and Estonia have great admiration for the expressive and inspiring art forms of India. They have become inspired by it first-hand through their own travels in India, and indirectly through media. In Finland and Estonia, the active and growing Indian diaspora and Finnish/Estonian experts who have learned directly from maestros in India, have brought Indian art forms closer to home. It is now possible to enjoy and learn various Indian art forms from artists based in Finland and Estonia. I welcome you to use the catalogue as a reference for connecting with the artists. Discover new experiences and expand your horizons! 1 January, 2021 Raveesh Kumar Ambassador of India to Finland and Estonia Contents DANCE 4 Groups 5 Alpana Dance Group 6 DanceAct Bollywood Show 7 Dance Studio Amrita 8 Etnica 9 Fusia Performing Arts 10 House of Dance Tampere 11 Ilona Kolachana Dance & Bollywood Kamlees 12 Lotus - Indian Dance Centre Finland 13 Mallikai 14 Mudra Dance Group 15 Nach Baliye Kollektiv 16 Nach Mayuri 17 Pistah Boys and Girls 18 PureNach 19 Royal Bollywood 20 Sonar Bangla 21 Sri Sai Pranava Academy of Arts 22 Åbolly Dancers / Åbolly Dance School 23 Solo Artists 24 Ann Ojala 25 Gayathri Menon 26 Hanna Mannila 27 Ilona Prasher 28 Kati Viitanen 29 Laura Kunnas 30 Lyailya Yaman 31 Mikaela Jokinen 32 Olga Sharma 33 Sanna Laine 34 Selsi Pattanaik 35 Shreya Saha 36 Sujitha Ravi 37 Tapolina Jha 38 Vasantha Ghadiyaram 39 Venu Madhuri Voleti (Iruku) 40 Music 41 Groups 42 BOMBILLAZ 43 Fusion Stage 44 Sargam Band 45 Shankara 46 Shava 47 Trio Sahrami 48 Solo Artists 49 Amrita Chakrabarty 50 Antti Ohenoja 51 Lari Aaltonen 52 Nanda Kumar 53 Sharon Ben-Dor 54 Siddharth Rao 55 Index of Art Styles 56 DANCE Groups Alpana Dance Group Style: Bollywood Activity: Teaching, performances Since: 2013 Founded by: Maria Temonen Based in: Lahti, Finland Alpana Dance Group was founded in Lahti in 2013. The group includes seven dancers and the choreographer is Maria Temonen. Maria studied Indian and oriental dance in St. Petersburg, Russia in the Joy of Life, one of the oldest dance groups practicing Indian dances in Russia. Her current troupe, Alpana Dance Group participates in annual Indian dance events in Finland. In 2017, they were part of the opening concert of the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships. In 2019, they came second in the Indian dance festival, an international dance competition in Tampere. It is important for the group to make each dance performance a unique show. They focus on the big picture, meaning that the choice of music, movements, costumes and jewellery are all carefully thought out. The choreographies draw inspiration from Bollywood movies and Indian classical dance styles. Contact Instagram: alpanadance Email: [email protected] Phone: +358 44 279 9051 6 DanceAct Bollywood Show Style: Bollywood Activity: Teaching (beginners and intermediate), performances Since: 2011 Founded by: Jamila Based in: Tallinn, Estonia The founder of DanceAct Bollywood Show, Jamila, started learning the classical South Indian dance form of Bharatanatyam in Dance Studio Amrita in 1996. Over the years, she attended workshops by many renowned teachers, such as Syed Sallauddin Pasha, Malini Srinivasan, Anusha Subramanyam etc. In 2011, Jamila started teaching Bollywood style at DanceAct dance studio. Since then, she has learned Kathak, Bhangra, Kalbeliya and other styles from Hemant Devara in India. DanceAct Bollywood Show can be hired for performances of different types as they have both Indian folk and movie songs in their repertoire. Their high energy will guarantee a fun experience for the audience. The group performed in the music video Saaremaa for the Estonian band ÖÖ featuring Killbaba. In addition to regular performances, Jamila can also be hired to create a short Bollywood style dance routine for the people attending the event, for example weddings or birthdays. Contact Facebook: www.facebook.com/DanceActBollywoodShow Email: [email protected] 7 Dance Studio Amrita Style: Bharatanatyam Activity: Teaching (beginners, intermediate), performances Since: 1984 Founded by: Irina Jankevich Based in: Tallinn, Estonia Dance Studio Amrita is run by Helen Geršman and Ruth Maria Roosi-Ott. Over the past 35 years, their teachers and students have learned from many prominent teachers in private classes and workshops, including Chitra Visweshwaran, Leela Ramanathan, Sarasvati Sundareshani, Surya N. Rao, Anusha Subramanyam, Malini Srinivasan, Parshwanath Upadhye, Janaki Rangarajan, Padmaja Suresh and many more. Amrita took first and second place in the National Dances category of the Estrada and National Dances Festival in 2015 and 2017 respectively. Contact Website: www.amrita.ee Facebook: www.facebook.com/Amrita-Tantsustuudio-168646316545254 E-mail: [email protected] Phone: +372 53 010 223 8 Etnica Style: Bollywood, Lavani, Odissi, Kalbeliya, Garba, Bhangra, belly dance, Bellywood, semi-classical Kathak, Koli, Kuthu, contemporary, show Activity: Teaching Bollywood (all levels), Odissi (beginners), other styles (beginners, intermediate) Since: 2007 Founded by: Mikaela Jokinen Based in: Helsinki, Finland Etnica is one of the more well-known groups in Finland that represent different ethnic dance styles. They have won several competitions in Finland and abroad, such as Ourvision Goes Dancing in 2010. The group has performed some colourful choreographies: sassy Bollywood, sensual Lavani, energetic Bhangra, groovy Garba and earthy Kalbeliya dances. Adding modern dance and belly dance to their repertoire has earned them wide recognition. Etnica strives to keep challenging themselves and working hard, without forgetting fun and laughter. Contact Website: www.etnica.fi Facebook: www.facebook.com/Dance-Group-Etnica-160519997365340 Instagram: dancegroupetnica Email: [email protected] Phone: +358 50 303 1329 9 Fusia Performing Arts Style: Bharatanatyam, Mohiniyattam, Kathakali, Keralanadanam, semi-classical, Bollywood, semi-classical Kathak, South Indian folk, Kollywood Activity: Teaching (all levels, both kids and adults), performances, workshops Since: 2015 Founded by: Gayathri Menon, Kati Viitanen, Sujitha Ravi Based in: Tampere and Helsinki, Finland Fusia Performing Arts focuses on raising awareness of Indian culture and dance forms. The classes offered by Fusia range from modern styles, such as Bollywood, Kollywood and semi-classical dance, to folk styles from North to South and ancient classical dance forms, such as Kathakali, Mohiniyattam, Bharathanatyam and Keralanadanam. Contact Facebook: www.facebook.com/fusiaperformingarts/ Instagram: fusiaperformingarts Email: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] Phone: +358 45 169 8556 10 House of Dance Tampere Style: Bollywood, Kollywood, Tollywood, semi-classical, dancehall, salsa, reggaeton, bachata, twerk, street and hip-hop Activity: Teaching, performances, workshops Since: 2009 Founded by: Daniel Paul Based in: Tampere, Finland The founder of House of Dance, Daniel Paul, has learned dance under the guidance of Mr. John Britto in India. He has performed in over a thousand shows all over the world and trained over 10 000 students in his career. His school House of Dance has 10 years of experience of performing in Finland and abroad. It has over 12 dance styles and over 200 students taught by 10 teachers and visiting international guest stars. The team also hosts the biggest Indian dance festival in the Nordics. Daniel competed in Dancing with the Stars India, and his group was a grand finalist and semi-finalist in Finland’s Got Talent in 2012 and 2016 respectively. They have performed in TV shows and theatres and worked with numerous Finnish celebrities, Daniel also with Indian film stars. Contact Website: www.houseofdance.fi Facebook: www.facebook.com/Houseofdancefinland Instagram: houseofdancefi Phone: +358 40 182 1189 11 Ilona Kolachana Dance & Bollywood Kamlees Style: Semi-classical, folk style Bollywood dance, Rajasthani folk, gypsy dances Activity: Teaching, performances, workshops Since: 2015 Founded by: Ilona Kolachana Based in: Helsinki, Finland Ilona has learned Kathak with Hanna Mannila in Finland and with Sushmita Gosh and Hemant Devara in India in 2013-2020. She has learned Rajasthani dances with Dhoad Gypsies of Rajasthan musicians and Kalbeliya dances in Jaipur, Hungary and Pushkar. Ilona was a guest teacher at the international Bollywood and Multicultural Festival in Athens, Greece in 2019, and has been invited to teach at India Dance Days in Hamburg, Germany in 2021. Bollywood Kamlees has been offering weekly classes since 2012 as well as workshops, solo and group performances